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Does anyone feel that this Style needs its own version of Heaven Thunder Hammer / Avalanche Method?

Avalanche Method distinguishes itself from Rolling Boulder Blow and Firmament-Shattering Impact by also being a multi-attack Charm, but Nora Valkyrie doesn’t need to hit you more than once to send you flying away.

For single-hit knockback, I haven’t found any way to compete with Heaven Thunder Hammer, which is cheap to get and use, and can be used bare-handed.

Logically, a hammer-dependent post-Form Charm should be more powerful, but HTH is already too powerful to top.

Comment

An offensive Style that makes frequent use of smashing attacks doesn’t need to defend itself when it is winning, since it strikes first and prone opponents suffer a -3 attack penalty. So the Defense bonus and the smashing defense penalty negator are a technique for emergencies rather than something that always applies to your actions.

The Form Charm should make it easier to achieve these winning conditions of attacking first, actually hitting with an inaccurate weapon, or making lots of smashing attacks without losing all Initiative, as some ideas.

Comment

An offensive Style that makes frequent use of smashing attacks doesn’t need to defend itself when it is winning, since it strikes first and prone opponents suffer a -3 attack penalty. So the Defense bonus and the smashing defense penalty negator are a technique for emergencies rather than something that always applies to your actions.

The Form Charm should make it easier to achieve these winning conditions of attacking first, actually hitting with an inaccurate weapon, or making lots of smashing attacks without losing all Initiative, as some ideas.

This style is intended to encourage the "knock 'em back a range band" option over the "knock them prone" option.

Comment

This style is intended to encourage the "knock 'em back a range band" option over the "knock them prone" option.

Quite so, but knocking someone back doesn’t actually accomplish anything on its own. Unless you knock them into close range with one of your allies so that they must Disengage, or knock them off a cliff, they can just use their Move action to come right back to you and attack.

That’s part of the reason why the version I am working on includes an attack Charm that gives you an Accuracy bonus on withering attacks against opponents who enter close range with you on their last turn, or against an opponent with whom you entered close range just before attacking. This encourages you to knock opponents away rather than down, and rewards you for chasing after your target.

For the sake of attacking an opponent with whom you’re already at close range, the same attack Charm might give you an Accuracy penalty if they have lower Initiative.

The Form Charm could also let you strike or with the butt of your hammer’s haft like a medium weapon with the two-handed tag, without the smashing tag. Less rewarding than a heavy smashing attack, but safer.

Comment

The possibility of using your reflexive movement action after knocking your single opponent out of your range band didn't occur to me; possibly because of some vague idea that you can't use a reflexive Move action after taking a Rush action.

Nevertheless, it seems legal, and it would allow you to move out to medium range from your opponent. Without Charms to the contrary, they can only use their Move action to get into short range and attempt to Rush you. You can render that Rush action pointless by Moving back into close range yourself to attack them, or by standing your ground and using your turn to activate a Simple-type Charm.

If, after being knocked back, they decide to run, they will be at long range from you, and catching them will be difficult without Solar Athletics Charms or a mobility-enhancing pinnacle Charm, so giving the Style some form of social influence (especially over someone whose braincase you've shaken with your hammer) would be useful for drawing them back into the fight like the tide returning to the beach.

However, this would only work with a single opponent, which possibly couldn't be a battlegroup. If you're embattled by more than one opponent or a battlegroup, you'd need a Charm to apply a smash attack or knockback effect to free up your movement.

This Charm allows the martial artist to enjoy the Flow condition, which she gains automatically upon assuming the Form.

While enjoying this condition, the martial artist's Initiative is effectively increased by 2 for the purposes of determining when she acts in the next round and how much decisive damage she can roll, and also allows her to make a smashing attack without spending Initiative or incurring the Defense Penalty.

She will instantly lose the Flow if she resets to base initiative, if she is successfully damaged by a withering or decisive attack, if she falls prone or becomes grappled or is otherwise rendered incapable of taking movement actions, or if she is no longer holding a two-handed hammer. Otherwise she will lose it at the end of her next turn.

In order to extend the duration of her Flow by another turn, or to regain Flow after losing it, she must perform one of the following actions: Taking a Full Defense action or an Aim action (which can only benefit a style attack on your next turn); attempting a smash attack, a dance-based Performance action, or a movement action to move into a different range band; or succeeding on a rise from prone action. If she chooses to flurry one of these actions with any other physical action, the last action she resolves in a turn must be one of the listed actions.

She cannot generate Flow while suffering from Initiative Crash, while prone or grappled or otherwise incapable of taking movement actions, or while deprived of a style weapon.

Terrestrial: The Flow condition only reduces the Initiative cost of smashing attacks by 1.

Special activation rules: The martial artist may reflexively assume this Form after attempting a smash attack, which may generate the Flow condition and waive the Defense penalty, but not the Initiative cost.